“You beat the liver out of a goose to get a pâté; you pound the muscles of a man's cardia to get a philosopher.”

“Some day, my son, you are going to learn that the two greatest joys of being a man are beating the hell out of someone and getting the hell beaten out of you, good night.”

“What is wrong with looking muscular? Muscles are beautiful. Strength is beautiful. Muscle tissue is beautiful. It is metabolically, medically, and philosophically beautiful. Muscles retreat when they're not used, but they will always come back if you give them good reason. No matter how old you get, your muscles never lose hope. Few cells of the body are as capable as muscle cells are of change and reformation, of achievement and transcendence.”

“Knowing you don't have much time left changes things. You get kind of philosophical. And you figure things out-more like, they figure themselves out-and everything gets real clear.”

“Real magic can never be made by offering someone else's liver. You must tear out your own, and not expect to get it back.”

“Honestly, shopping beats therapy, anytime. It costs the same and you get a dress out of it.”